From House of Miniatures to House of Modern

Back to minis!  Several months ago, HBS had a sale on some House of Miniatures dollhouse furniture kits...they were $1.00 each so even with the shipping, they were a super deal.  I bought them primarily because they were cheap and I figured I could alter them to make them more modern or sell them.  The other day I decided to see what I could do with one of the kits.

 This is the kit I started with, a very traditional chest of drawers.

 This is what I made with the kit. They seem to fit together quite nicely and the wood is nice and smooth, there wasn't much sanding that needed to be done.  I only had to cut a few new parts such as the legs and one of the tops.
 

 I used some of my free laminate samples for the drawer fronts.

I really like the textures.

 

These are the left over pieces from the kit.

 

(Let me know if anyone wants the left overs, I'd hate for them to go to waste)

It's amazing how much a few parts and some paint can make a piece of furniture look so different. Stay tuned for more kit transformations.  I've already started two more!

Mini-Life

I haven't really done anything with miniatures since I got back from the Tom Bishop show in Chicago...So, what have I been doing?  I've been busy working on real life stuff.  It does include miniatures in a way.

 

I've been working on making my work room more efficient.  I simply have too much stuff crammed in a little space. Not to mention that this is a converted attic space and the walls are actually only 4 feet tall then it all slopes to a point at 8 feet in the center of the room.  So, I really don't have much wall space.

 

 There is also no air conditioning in this room.  See that behemoth by the shelves?  That's a portable air conditioner.  It's typically over 90 degrees in this room in the summer, so the portable A.C. is a must!

 

 It got to a point where the only place I could work is on the floor.  Needless to say, the carpeting was quickly getting trashed.

 

 So, I decided on a whim to tear out all of the carpeting and replace it with vinyl flooring. That's my girl Lucy peeking through the door.

 

Here is it in it's current state.  It still needs a lot of organizing, but at least I don't have to sit on the floor and messes are much easier to clean up.

 

Then, if that isn't enough...I decided to start tearing up our screened in porch.  Use your imagination...a dark green ceiling, dirty tan outdoor carpeting, tan walls and brown furniture.  It's not very inviting is it? (I forgot to take before pictures).

 

Here it is now...

 Bright and happy!

 

 We painted the ceiling and all the walls white and the French doors and blades on the ceiling fan are bright orange.

 

I love how the floor turned out!  I painted it lime green and then stenciled the blue.  Then applied five coats of water based floor polyurethane.

 

Now, we are just waiting for the weather to warm up again so we can have a barbecue!

 

So, I guess that will give me some mini time.  I'm having withdraw symptoms and need a little mini fix!

Swap with Mandy!

Swaps, swaps and more swaps!

Not too long ago Mandy Vlak of Modern Mini Mind was looking for advise on how to make a modern kitchen.  So, I offered to do a swap with her.  I would make her a kitchen set and she would make something for me...and did she ever!

Of course, I did not do the "customary" thing and open one each day....does anyone really do that?  It would have taken me a week to open all of these!

 She basically showered me in wonderful accessories and food!

 Mmmmmmm...ice cream!

Orange!, My favorite color!

Thanks Mandy!!! I can't wait to put these to use!

Here is what I sent to Mandy:

I made her this kitchen set complete with bar stools, pots and pans and some colorfully filled jars. The bar stools are actually made by Avi from Mini Models on Etsy.  I bought several of them for the HBS Creating Contest, but ended up not using them.

Spring Swap #1

What seems like a long while back, I organized a spring swap.  Here is the first of the swaps.

The swap partners are Modernist Molly and Nancy Enge. They desided on accessories as their theme.

Here is what Nancy sent to Modernist Molly: 

And this is a little scene she made.  She even made it while traveling!  The floor is beautiful!

And this is what Modernist Molly send to Nancy:

 Love the watercolors!

 Wonderful vases, tissues, hat, mirror and bicycle wall sculpture!

A tea set, dolphin and vase.

Nancy is one of the first time entrant winners in the 2012 HBS Creatin Contest.

More to come!